So your bench went up 120 pounds in just 4 months?
that just isnt natural and probably no variation of training can induce such gains. unless you were using excessive amounts of steroids, the 120 pound increase just was never a part of reality.

So your bench went up 120 pounds in just 4 months?
that just isnt natural and probably no variation of training can induce such gains. unless you were using excessive amounts of steroids, the 120 pound increase just was never a part of reality.

Doesnt seem possible huh? The only time I have seen something similiar is when someone benches for like the first time ever. A 180lbs guy at first he cant put 135lbs up but then like a few weeks later they can hit 150lbs.

Its like learning technique and using muscle strenght you had but the first time benching could not really access it.

Haha I can explain. I used to be a bit of a coke head, I was 18 yrs old and had gotten sent to a boys ranch for a probation violation(dirty pee test for weed). So any way I was really into parties, selling and snorting coke, and hadn't trained for about a year (dropped the football, and schooll for other activities). Just really unhealthy in general.

So anyway at this ranch you get feed 3 squares a day big ones. You get to sleep very consistantly and workout everyday if you wish. One of the counselors (sheriff in adult jail) , gave me a copy of this program to try, he had been giving it to the kids for a little while. So I figured my 1rm, it was 175 but before this it had been up to 230 so I tried 200 couldn't get anywhere near to moving it. So the first couple weeks it went up very dramatically, because of the first couple of adaptations, such as relearning the movement, and recruiting more motor units. On top of that I just ate, ran, lifted, and slept. I gained about 45 lbs(180-225) of bodyweight and trully looked like I was just off a cycle, I was huge and all rounded out. Al my friensd made jokes about how they were going to get arrested so they could get big.

So I think it was a mix of being out very out of shape when i started, and very consistent sleeping, eating, and training.

Oh and I could have hit 300 but in the last week I got in trouble for sneaking some creatine in, someone asked me what was in my water and the counselor heard. they said no more weights for me and had gotten out the week after.

Even my counselor was hella impressed by how much I gained (he was a powerlifter at the time, real big guy). He said most guys dont have the nutrition aspect. Milk was easy to get in there:-)

Thats how the pros get big. They have absolutely nothing else that they have to do with their day. Those in the real world have their crazy lives that get in the way. lol

I agree completely. But what I didn't do is workout all day, 4 hours a week at the most with the weight training.What I did do is I ate and slept at exactly the same time everyday(it was scheduled). I think that has a lot to do with how much size I put on.

do your plan then start doing squats a couple of months in and you will see how much squats really do help bench and over all strength

The only role that legs would plan in a bench press would be to create a stable base. Squatting would not be of much help for this as legs should already have enough strength to create a stable base while lying on a bench. If you are referring to legs during a bench press by aiding in arching the back to press the weight up, then you are performing an incorrect bench press and are seriously increasing the risk of injury. Or, you think that leg workouts release more testosterone (which they do) but the differences are minute.

The only role that legs would plan in a bench press would be to create a stable base. Squatting would not be of much help for this as legs should already have enough strength to create a stable base while lying on a bench. If you are referring to legs during a bench press by aiding in arching the back to press the weight up, then you are performing an incorrect bench press and are seriously increasing the risk of injury. Or, you think that leg workouts release more testosterone (which they do) but the differences are minute.

i would not say that the differences in testosterone release are something to be over looked.

i would not say that the differences in testosterone release are something to be over looked.

I didn't say it should be overlooked, but it isn't going to help with overall strength as much as some people may think. Like I stated before, it does release a bit more testosterone; however, the body can produce only so much naturally to stay dynamically in its homeostatic ranges. Also, this extra release is only short-term (~2 days at most). It does not contribute to long-term increase in natural testosterone.

do your plan then start doing squats a couple of months in and you will see how much squats really do help bench and over all strength

I do think squats increase overall all strength and mass/weight, therefore it will help with bench press some. However, the key word was "BEST" doing squats is surely NOT the BEST way to increase your bench press. Doing squats would be the best way to increase your squats.

Squats do help with overall strength which would include your bunch not that your quads themselves help you bench press. It is a fact that the guys who squat often and bench often (without overtraining) have better gains overall including their bench. It is fact.

If you read my posts, then you would know that I agree with squats helping overall strength; however, some people have the idea that the results are astronomical and in fact they really are not. Also, with that little bit of extra release of testosterone; how much do you think isn't bound to SBGH?

If you read my posts, then you would know that I agree with squats helping overall strength; however, some people have the idea that the results are astronomical and in fact they really are not. Also, with that little bit of extra release of testosterone; how much do you think isn't bound to SBGH?

The results are not ASTRONOMICAL but working the other 50% of your body is kind of an important part of the equation.

Not sure about how much test is bound or free, I'm not sure anyone can provide factual numbers with that one. But I bet it's more than a little extra release! Just squat 3x a week and youll see

Just read through this thread and:
1) Squats will help your bench to an extent, they will assist you with your leg drive (very important when you start moving a lot of weight), they will also make your lower back stronger in a static contraction creating a more stable arch ( arching does not risk injury like someone has stated. People who do not know how to arch correctly are the ones that get injured), they will increase test and all that good stuff (if you don't believe it do your bench in the same session as heavy squat similar to a sheiko routine and your bench will progress), and finally they are going to have neural benefits such as teaching you to strain through weights and hold form under a bar while doing a maximal lift (hugely important when the weights start getting heavy)

2) Chains will help your bench as well, but not a lot of people have access to them. Also they do not increase low end strength and starting strength on a bench press as well as something like bands. Bands are cheap and you only need one set of the smallest bands to see a huge jump on your bench.

3) No one mentioned proper bench technique yet, if you do not know how to set up properly for a bench press you are never going to reach your potential. Here is a good article that deals with setting up as well as some other things:http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...2_step_program

4) No one has mentioned using accessory work to increase your bench. If you want your bench to go up start doing heavy compound movements like pullups and rows for your lats, JM's and boards for your triceps, and Bradfords and raises for your shoulders. A lot of people underestimate the importance of your lats, but they will have a huge effect on all your pressing and pulling movements just about.

5) Finally one of the most powerful ways to increase your bench is to utilize CNS overload at different parts of the movement. Bands, chains, weight releasers, and boards will all help with this as will movements like pin presses and suspended lock outs. This is a more advanced technique and may not be to useful to some of the people right now, but as your triceps and lats get stronger and you become more stable your have to train your nervous system to recruit as many motor units as possible while lifting.

im just talking from experience. I used to be one of the guys who only worked out upper body, i read that doing squats will help out in full body strenght so i started and my bench and other lifts instantly went up. Not "astrinomicly" but they increased much faster.